Sen. Wicker tours Columbia tornado damage

It's his first trip since the December 23 tornado. The senator traveled the path of the storm starting on Highway 13 South to Hwy 98 and ending on Hwy 198.

Wicker also heard from county and emergency management officials about assistance needed, including a possible litigation grant for a new communication system since the main communication tower was destroyed in the storm.

“In working with the local groups, city government, county government, and also local emergency management, we think that we have gotten all of the information to the federal government that we need,” said Wicker. “Now it's just up to us that the program run efficiently and we get everything we are entitled to. That is sort of the purpose of my visit. It is a fact finding visit.”